Bridging the gap
by kimmiesjoy
Summary: Set between the end of LOVE and the start of LOVERS, filling in the missing hours of their first night together.
1. Chapter 1

For the co-creator of the Original game Word of the Day! My Diane! just be aware people dont make bets with this woman...she will trick you into writing stories for her!

This takes place between the end of LOVE and the start of LOVERS filling in a few of the (ahem) holes i apprently left!

Disclaimer: i am not delusional and i realise it isnt mine...i own nothing!

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><p>He's standing outside his bar saying good night to their friends and she's holding tight to his hand. She loves him, loves him, loves him, loves him. The words she spoke as they danced are echoing in his head, and now as they stand in the darkness she wont let go of her death grip on his hand.<p>

She has tilted into his shoulder twice, hiding her smile in the material of his jacket as she leans into him and looks up at him from under her heavy lashes.

Amusement and flirtation and mischievousness and she's smiling at him, and she loves him, he can't quite believe it inside his own head, but it's _tangible_, he can see it in her eyes and that smile she keeps hiding. He can feel it in every touch and skim of her fingers against his. He knows it, feels it, reflects it back to her with everything he has, but he still cant quite _believe_ it.

Its all so…_big_ and dramatic and he looks at her and wonders what she would do to him if he spun her out from where she hides next to him and made her dance with him in the street?

He wants to spin her and kiss her and twirl her on the spot until she's as dizzy from the action as he is from the emotion and joy that her words have awakened. He's light headed and floating like a balloon and just when he thinks he's about to drift off, out into the universe, her fingers wrap around his and she folds her body in close to him, anchoring him, grounding him.

She hasn't let go of him since they danced in the bar and every now and then he catches her staring at him. The fingers of her left hand, warm and demanding, are roaming over the skin on the back of his, whilst her other hand is buried within his closed palm. She keeps them this way as they wait.

She links their hands, palm to palm, her skin cool against the heat of his and he can feel every pulse that breaks through the delicate membrane under his touch. He has to smile at her because her hearts hammering just like his but she's not looking at him yet, so he stares, just…stares.

His thumb brushes her wrist, grazes her, skimming the beat of her veins and he feels her tense. Her eyes flash to his and hold him mesmerised as heat floods to her cheeks. She always catches him staring, always knows when he has been watching her for too long, when he gets too creepy, but this time, instead of calling him on it, she blushes.

Hair tumbled in the wind, cheeks pinking up fast and the beat of her pulse beneath his fingers, he lets out a shuddering breath, she is extremely exposed like this, open, bare before him.

Love shines out of her eyes. As stupid and poetic as it sounds love flows from her into him, a soft smile lifts the corners of her mouth and he raises his hand. He has to touch her face, brushing the back of his fingers across her cheek before he lets his thumb follow and his hand settles over her face.

It feels incredibly intimate, he instantly has visions of her spread like this below him, hair fanned across his pillow as he lingers over her body, he thinks she might feel it too because her breathing picks up speed, gets heavier, deeper against his hand.

She nuzzles her cheek against his fingers and looks at him steadily, her long lashes beating slowly hiding the languid pools of her eyes as she watches him.

Lanie calls her name and she lets out a shuddering laugh, her hand closing over his in resignation as they are interrupted.

Lanie breaks apart their locked fingers and glares between them before she grins and pulls her away. He watches her go, turning to look over her shoulder at him as they take a few steps to the side, leaving him waiting by the door.

He hears her gasp the other woman's name before smacking her on the arm, Lanie has obviously just made an inappropriate (and probably accurate) comment about what's coming next. He cant help grinning at the play between the two friends and now he's thinking about what might happen next.

She told him she loves him.

He hears them both laugh and cannot stop staring at her as she tips back, hair lifting in the breeze and streetlights bouncing off her skin. A loud giggle escapes and he watches in fascination as her fingers chase it across her lips as she uses them to hide. She's not shy, but there's a vulnerability behind the action and oh, he just wants to kiss it away.

They call him over, both women turning, but it's her eyes he meets, her hand he reaches for as she lifts it beckoning him back to her side. Whatever was said lingers between the three of them as both women smile and he watches her eyes dart repeatedly to him. She captures his hand in both of hers and presses her self against him, laughing self consciously as their friend mutters an aww and tells them to get a room.

He has no objection to that idea and he winks over her head making Lanie laugh and nod in approval.

They bid Lanie farewell, ignoring the smirks and the unsaid I told you so that lingers between them as she climbs into her cab. She tells them to be good and Beckett rolls her eyes. As the cab pulls away Lanie winds down the window and leans out yelling to them

"Don't mess this up, you both need some action."

He tenses waiting for her response, glances sideways at her and she's almost mirroring him, a small smile and a side tilt of her eyes as she watches him expectantly. He does what he does best and breaks the ice with a silly comment.

"She's not wrong." he looks at her smiling widely.

"She rarely is." she breaths out slowly letting her meaning sink in as she watches him. He feels his smile falter and watches hers get wider, she enjoys teasing him, playing with him and she loves him.

He gestures to the door of his bar, offering to open it for her so they can head back inside if she wants. She shakes her head. He's so very close to bouncing up and down on the spot, but he reigns it in…just.

"Walk me home" she squeezes his hand, fingers entwined and it's a statement not a question, an inevitability.

It's where their path has been leading them for so long that she almost didn't _need_ to say the words as they swing their threaded hands and start to walk the darkened streets. She keeps their hands in motion like she's giddy, like at any second she might start skipping down the street, he smiles at the image because he would _so_ skip with her if she did.

She drifts closer as they walk, her free hand crosses her body tentatively, reminding them both of exactly how _new_ this all is, and snags his forearm, she touches her head to his shoulder.

He's lost then, she has him fully and completely with that simple gesture, not that she didn't before, but the way she rests her head on his shoulder just compounds it, he's madly and insanely and _deeply_ in love with her.

They arrive at her building and she releases him, turns slowly to face him and opens her mouth. She scrunches her eyes as she struggles to find the right words to invite him in, invite him up.

He watches for a moment as she battles with herself to find the words, he can see the internal debate about what's right and what's too fast. He doesn't want to leave her floundering, doesn't want to leave her at all.

They agreed to later, when kissing and groping in her bed had become more eager fondling and the smoke alarm had started beeping, they agreed. When she had kissed him and she had licked red pasta sauce from his face as he stood shirtless in her bedroom, they had agreed.

But now she's cautious again, hesitant, he can almost hear her thinking, she does it so loudly when she's worried or anxious, and he wonders himself. How do they bridge the gap between love and…what lays beyond? Between saying those three little words and taking that step.

But he can wait.

He needs her to know that he can wait.

He _has_ waited, and he will continue to wait until she's sure.

She's worth it.

More than that, their _love_ is worth it.

So, as she flounders for words that she fears could hurt his feelings, he has to speak and let her know, no matter what, no matter when, he will wait for her.

He closes the distance between them, dropping his hands to her waist as he looks into her eyes, midnight black, open wide and staring at him in the dimness of the evening.

"Beckett it's fine…it's…"

Her hand darts up between them, her fingers press to his lips, and, to stop the words he feels he needs, she brushes her thumb across his plump bottom lip.

She feels the silky smooth skin glide over the pad of her thumb, aches to feel it against her lips, her neck, her thighs when they finally reach the bedroom, and it almost stuns her beyond belief that this simple touch does what five years of words and reprimands could never do.

A brush of her thumb against his lower lip has just silenced the always talking Richard Castle.

She smiles at him and she is committing that trick to memory forever.

She doesn't want to be Beckett tonight, doesn't want armour and the internal struggle for justice, she just wants to be Kate, with him, for him, she just wants to be his Kate…just his.

Something burns in her chest to hear him speak her name, he has before, he has today, he has when he kissed her and he has when he said he loves her, but she wants to hear it _now_.

"Kate!" she states, looking him directly in the eyes, her hand still pressed against his lips. "My name is Kate, call me that please." She asks it of him so quietly he almost doesn't hear the eagerness in her voice, the wonder.

He smiles against her fingers, her thumb resting at the edge of his mouth and he wants to pull it between his lips and kiss and tease the gentle skin. Words like soon and later float freely to the front of his mind. He takes a second to relish her touch, sighs into it, before he pulls her hand away from his mouth and clasps it to his cheek.

"Kate." he says quietly, he rolls her name over his tongue like he's never said it before, watching the smile that breaks across her face "Glorious Kate, _beautiful_ Kate." he can see her fighting the joy and the giddy-ness and he really wants to hear her laugh "Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate." he pulls her closer and feels her give in, the vibrations of her laughter catching at his heart as he feels them against his chest.

His hand drifts to her jaw, fingers sliding through her hair, and she's reminded of the first time he kissed her, properly kissed her, she was laughing then too, and he pulls her closer still, moulding their bodies together until he fits into all the recesses of her, and she leans into him relishing the touch.

His lips brush against hers almost chastely until her hand catches at his shirt collar, her fingers at the edge of his neck brushing softly against his skin, as her other hand finds its way to the back of his neck and her fingers slip through his hair. She seeks him out, pulls him closer and he goes more than willingly.

Her mouth opens under his, a hot exhale of air dances between them and it's all he can do not to pin her to wall of the apartment block behind them.

The minute her lips touch his she knows where this night is ending, she knows she will take him upstairs and she knows in the morning she will wake up in his arms.

She tries to maintain the kiss, lips locked together as he shows his gentle devotion, but she smiles impatiently as she plans her next move, eager now for the evenings festivities, she laughs again, louder, at her own train of thought and leans away, his lips miss hers, kissing the space they used to fill.

She's still laughing as she drops her head onto his shoulder again. She drops her hands to his chest and pushes him away.

"Come up." she says shaking her head, they are not starting this in the street, she's cold and she wants to get changed so they can go back to the loft. She wants to wake up in his bed.

He's not really paying any attention to her as he starts to speak because he's using all his willpower to be gallant and do the right thing. The moment she broke the kiss he decided he would step in and give her an out.

"I don't have to come up." he closes his eyes and shakes his head.

"Yes you do." she grins at him but he's not looking, so she folds her arms and waits.

"We don't have to do this now…"

"Yes we do."

"…tonight"

"_YES_…we do!"

"Not here."

"I should hope not we're in the middle of the street."

He hears her then, the teasing tone and he glances at her face and finds her smiling, he must look as confused as he feels because she rolls her eyes at him and grins widely.

"I really never saw myself having to convince you of this Castle" she says in mock confusion.

She starts walking backwards like she did in the bar, her hands reaching for his, calling for him to guide her, she takes larger steps back the closer she gets to her building, wiggling her fingers as she laughs.

He cant move, he's stuck, feet grounded to the floor in disbelief. No way is he this lucky. She loves him, she told him, she kissed him, that all happened today and its more than enough, so he cant quite bring himself to believe she's calling him to her bed.

When she reaches the door and he still hasn't moved she stops dead and holds out a hand, resting the other on her hip, her voice is demanding, in charge and teasing and the minute the words leave her mouth he propels himself forward….

"You coming Castle?


	2. Chapter 2

No excuse for my absenteeism, new computer, new ideas, hopefully im back. Monday 2mrw :D

Disclaimer: i own nothing and no-one but i have two doggies and they will be watching with me 2mrw!

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><p>She presses the door shut, leaning into it briefly as she beckons him into her home, the darkness of her empty apartment rushes to meet them as she twirls around him, smiling and pulling him deeper into her lair.<p>

She laughs at the imagery, her lair, the place where she holds him trapped.

Her eyes are shining, reflecting back what little light penetrates the room and she has their hands firmly locked together as she guides him to her sofa.

"Sit." she commands.

Her hands rise to his chest as she backs him into the edge of the sofa, narrowly avoiding the coffee table; it just skims the tender skin of her shin but doesn't leave a mark.

She wouldn't be aware if it did because he is the only thing that exists in her world, he is her axis, the very thing she revolves around, him and the way he is watching her, the soft brush of his tongue over his lips as he breathes, this moment here and now.

She watches him fight, take a heavy breath, swallow something back, words, nerves, eagerness she doesn't care because he pushes it back and lets her take the lead.

He hands her the reigns hoping she will use them to tether them together, or steer them towards a bed or some other insane metaphor that he doesn't really care about anymore because as he swallows the urge to rush ahead and do indecent things to her body, she pushes him down.

He collapses back clumsily, arms flail to the side to help his landing, as she smiles and steps forwards so her knees brush his legs.

She stands over him in those crazy shoes and waits until he lifts his eyes and looks at her. He has to lean back to see her face clearly because she's standing that close. He lets his eyes drift slowly up the length of her body, lingering over her long and shapely legs as long as is humanly indecent before he grins up at her.

He watches her with undivided, rapt, attention, absorbed and focused solely on her, as he has been for as long as he cares to remember.

His unfathomable blue eyes, eyes that always seem to see too much of her, drink in her every line and curve as they traverse her body before locking firmly, magnetized, with her own.

There is something so profound about their eye contact, something that has always ignited more in the both of them than it's possible to imagine could exist in the simplicity of the dilation of the pupil of his eye as it connects with her.

If the eyes are the window to the soul then every word either one of them has ever wanted to tell the other flows through that connection in one rushing, devastating swoop. It knocks everything else aside, tumbles fear and doubt asunder, leaves them both wide open and vulnerable to the other.

It is perfection, the embodiment of love, in a single look that passes between two people who have seen the best and worst of each other, who have caused each other pain and risen above it, two people who stand side by side daily and fight for justice.

Two people who bicker and moan and fight and laugh, two people who now hold hands, kiss and love each other, two people, best friends, partners, confidants and conspirators, team mates and soon…lovers.

There is truth in it, devotion and finality, because the moment is here and the time is now, they are in love with each other, equally and at the same time, and it is _perfection_.

Some insane devilry seizes her then because that look he is giving her is ripping through her heart and burning in her stomach, and the plan goes out the window as she nudges his ankles apart with her heel.

She has him alone again and with all that's happened today and all that's been before…she just wants a little _taste_ of what lies ahead.

His eyes widen in anticipation as she leans over him, holding onto his shoulder, her hair falling forwards in a darkened silk curtain that hides her face again. The fingers, just brushing past his neck, squeeze him reassuringly, if fingers can tease an upcoming event hers do.

She is wearing a very short dress, thigh high and gorgeous, showing off the length of her legs and as she positions herself, knee pressing at his groin, it rides further up.

He gasps at the close contact of her body as she straddles his leg. Her movement startling his hands from their resting place on the sofa and he can't help but grab at her waist as she almost settles herself along the length of his leg, hovering just a little over him.

The top was low on her dress, strapless and silky, the skirt already short stopping at mid-thigh, and at this point, as she tilts into his hands and leans forward, lowering the top and making the skirt ride up, she might as well just be wearing a belt. He suddenly remembers how very much he likes belts, and short dresses.

He lets his hands move, sliding slowly down her hips to rest over the fleshier tops of her thighs, and he squeezes his fingers, digging in and holding her firm to his leg as she sits down solidly upon it.

Her lips quirk up as she smiles, another new contact, stark and intimate as he pulls her towards him, sliding her very, very smoothly along the length of his leg with a wry smile as he brings her nearer. He can tell the muscle and sinew that slides beneath her are setting up a nice little friction, her moan of appreciation proves it.

"Kaaaateee." he teases, his voice low and deep and barely more than a whisper, her name now another weapon he can use against her, toy with, as she lets loose a small shiver.

She can normally hide it, but she doesn't want to tonight, she wants to feel everything without the incessant fight to maintain composure and control, she wants for him to hear and see and relish every reaction she has.

Her hands at his shoulders, previously for balance, now sit for no other purpose than that she wants them on him. She can touch him when she wants to, if she needs to, when she _has_ to.

He is captivated as she smiles, his mind flashes back to being on the floor in the bank when she found him, her fingers at his neck in the same way, bright and brilliant it allows for no questioning of how she truly feels. It opens up that little box that has been hiding the truth and spills it forth in the radiance of her happiness.

His mouth opens but words fail and he clamps his lips shut again as she moves, leaning towards him, brushing her hair past his cheek.

She moves forwards and, as she does with everything, she teases him into kissing her, teases her way, soft and easy, into his mouth.

She rains down on him pitter-patter kisses, little, light pecks that she dusts across his cheek and jaw, making her way slowly to his mouth and when she reaches his lips for her proper kiss, her thunder and lightning kiss, she finds his mouth already open, waiting for her.

She brushes gently, moving in one smooth line, starting at the corner of his mouth and along his bottom lip, before she pulls him forward, arms sliding around his neck, her eyes drifting shut, and her mouth does the rest.

She kisses him, rocks against him and wraps around him, for a long time, until the need for air becomes a raging torment.

She pulls back, resting, a little awkwardly, on his knee, as she smiles at him again.

"You ok there Castle? You look a bit dazed." She smirks waiting for him to open his eyes, expecting a little flirty comment back, but when he does finally drag his lids wide and stare at her she isn't prepared for the force behind it.

He looks dangerous, his eyes misted over with longing, and he waits her out, doesn't speak for what feels like an eternity, sitting with his hands roaming the bare skin at the tops of her legs, he stares.

He waits until his staring becomes creepy, slips past devotion and borders on making her roll out a death-stare, when he reaches that moment, and not before, he lifts his hand.

It fits so easily into the small groove of her neck, his thumb at home as it slides across her cheek, granting him easy access to the skin of her face. Four fingers at the back of her neck apply enough pressure for her to know he wants her to move towards him, her eyes questioning his silence but going with it.

Once he has her close, almost nose to nose, he whispers "You will _pay_ for that later Katherine Beckett."

He feels her tense, thrill at the use of her name or maybe at the insinuation, her whole body jumps like she's been zapped with electricity and he can feel her hands struggle to grip tight to his shoulders.

She opens her eyes then, leaning in as she answers him, "I certainly hope so." the smile that threatens to split apart her lips, and his heart, is never given life, he traps it before it can be set free and claims her mouth.

This kiss, his kiss, isn't one of soft and gentle teasing, it is a kiss of demand. He wants all she has to offer, her body, her mind and soul, but most of all her heart, he wants his place in it, his little corner of her that belongs to him alone.

His free hand seeks to prove it and rests over the rampaging muscle as it tries to beat clean through her chest, whilst the fingers at her neck hold her, trap her close. He needs more hands because one should be running through her soft hair, getting tangled in it and another needs to be moulded around her waist, pulling her closer still.

She moans into him then, feels it bubble up from some hidden recess as his mouth does magical, indescribable things to her. He moves his whole body in that kiss, but it's his mouth, always his mouth working overtime, talking, teasing, theorising, laughing and now kissing.

His mouth will be her downfall.

She shudders at the images _that_ conjures, because she knows his mouth will _literally_ bring her to her knees, she just doesn't know when, but she knows _where _and hopes _soon_ and she moans again.

Her body is clay to be moulded by his hands, fire that he stokes and liquid that flows freely through his fingers, she is air and life and all manner of things.

She is every silly metaphor under the sun when he touches her, when he kisses her like he is now, and her body will sing a beautiful song and it will make sense, because he loves her and she loves him.

She rocks forward, her hips moving of their own accord and he stills her, pulls back leaving her panting and hot.

"Let's stop," he suggests quietly, his hands soft against her body, soothing, to temper the fear of rejection "we shouldn't do this here, not _here_…" he indicates the sofa.

She doubted before that it would matter all that much where it happened, when it did, for the first time, but suddenly it feels like the most important thing, the most significant decision.

If it happens here she has plausible deniability, no one will witness it because she lives alone, and if she chose to she could sneak him out in the morning like a dirty little secret to be brushed under the rug.

But she doesn't want that, and there is a corner of her mind that fears her own ability to run and hide.

If she does this and flees from it she will never forgive herself. If she hurts him she will break her own heart and everything she strove for will have been for nothing. All the work and effort to be whole and worthy will fall aside under her own stubborn delusions.

They need to go to his home, as she always intended, where the warmth of the family life he created and the insanity of his daily existence could surround her and suck her in.

Where she can wake up in his arms and he can force her to stay and make her believe in them over and over again.

"I'm going to need a few minutes before I leave." he says looking apologetic as she starts to lift off of him, her decision made.

"Yeah me too," she smiles "so get comfortable." He had started to rise with her and she pushes him back down "I'll be out in a minute."

She grins as he gapes at her, but she doesn't linger, she navigates her kitchen with speed, un-zipping her dress as she heads for her bedroom.

She's naked, in the process of re-dressing and packing (ever the multi-tasker) when she hears him call out.

"You're leaving? Where are you going?" Clearly her words have only just cut through the lust fog in his head and allowed him to respond.

She shakes her head and laughs, slipping on some practical, yet still fairly alluring, black underwear, she was tempted to leave it off, but there is something…appealing about the idea of him helping her out of it later.

"With you!" She yells back as she shrugs on her shirt and jeans, debating the shoes before slipping back into some less frightening heels, she grabs some flat comfy ones as well, just in case.

"Where am I going?"

The man is dense sometimes he really is. She grabs a bag from under her bed and throws clothes into it, the flat shoes, jeans and another shirt, more underwear, she turns her phone off (no work tomorrow) before she launches it from across the room without properly seeing where it lands. She might regret that later but right now she's in a bit of a rush.

She checks the bag and just for kicks, to tease him, she throws in her handcuffs, setting the key inside her shoe, again just in case.

"Home!" She scrunches her nose, eyes closing, as she hears the word leave her mouth, _his_ home she should have said, _home_ implies _their_ home, somewhere they both live, sharing their life.

She waits for his comment, expects something cheeky, something all too true. Some leading words that imply she wants to live with him.

She spots the shirt he leant her years ago crumpled in a ball under her pillow, she wears it to bed more often than she should, and she cant resist, she grabs it and quickly throws it on top of her other clothes, zipping up the bag.

"You're coming home _with_ me?"

She smiles in relief when he doesn't make a silly comment, as she hears the wonder in his voice, he is still surprised she wants to go home with him, and she does want to, in every sense of that phrase.

"Yes." She answers quickly, trying to keep her longing from slipping through the word. She wants to go home with him, to him, to have him waiting for her late at night, meeting her at the door…she rubs a hand across her eyes, presses against them until she sees little pin pricks of light and she can clear her head again.

"Why don't we just stay here, I am more than happy…" she can hear him moving, his voice suddenly softer as he speaks again "…more than ready to stay here with you."

She looks up and he's standing in the doorway, whilst he watches her something warm and gentle is rising in his eyes, some belief and happiness that she has seen glimpses of before, but now he seems to have set it free.

She smiles and sighs and looks at him and feels like a complete idiot.

It's the most wonderful feeling, and it must be written across her face too because he raises his eyebrows and tips his head to one side, watching her and trying to figure her out whilst at the same time seeing straight through her, as usual.

She feels her cheeks warm up again and asks sheepishly "Indulge me? I've been thinking about it for a while."

Another beaming smile breaks across his face then. As if he could ever refuse her anything, least of all this.

"I want to…wake up at your home." She forces the words out in a rush, she is doing this, she wants to, needs to, she will love him and be honest and she will do it properly, all or nothing, in or out.

And oh god is she in!

He smiles again, or it's the same smile appearing and disappearing she's not sure, "You're coming home with me and you're staying and you're going to wake up there in the morning?"

She nods, unable to get past that look on his face as he steps closer. He told her before she makes him happy but she has always had a niggling doubt, how can she doubt that smile?

His hand finding its spot on her face in one swoop, her eyes closing instantaneously, she drops the bag and holds her hand over his, trapping him against her skin.

"Don't…" she fights the vulnerability, the voice inside that tells her to stand alone, be strong and be silent, she fights it as he waits "…don't let me run." Her voice breaks around the words, her eyes flash to his and her meaning is clear.

He steps closer, adjusts his body to fit together with hers, his other hand rising to her cheek so he can hold her face and keep her staring at him, he breaths into her, calm and content, as his thumbs brush the soft skin under her eyes and the tops of her cheekbones in shallow waves.

"You've got this." He whispers leaning in closer still, offering the reassurance she craves with such unforced simplicity "I've got this, you are _not_ running anywhere."

His eyes wont leave hers as he moves in for another kiss, a chaste kiss, a solemn vow of a kiss, it burns and it holds steadfast and true as he parts his lips and presses them against hers, he doesn't try to deepen it and strive for more, he doesn't need to, he just holds her close, his lips soft and sincere against her own.

A kiss of commitment and dedication as his thumbs continue to soothe circles into her cheekbones. He makes her believe him, believe in him and in them with one sure fire simple mind blowing kiss.

When he pulls back he smiles, and she knows something is coming, something…_Castle_.

"Besides…" he says, true to form and never disappointing "this is something you've been thinking about for a while!" He raises an eyebrow as he nods "Oh yes, I always knew you wanted me."

The innate _Castle-ness_ of that comment makes her eyes twitch as they desperately fight the need to roll, but fight it she does, honesty her best policy.

"Yes." She nods stepping closer touching at the collar of his jacket with her finger tips as she tilts her head and smiles coyly at him "I do want you, when I've thought about this I've always pictured it happening at your place, in your bed. So take me _home_, with _you_."

"You pictured this?" He asks catching her face "Us doing this? I am going to need details of these little fantasies you know." His fingers skim her neck and start to drift lower as he grins at her.

She steps back and her eyebrows knit together in aggravation "I don't understand why you're so surprised, I do think about sex!" She breaks and laughs as his face becomes a total animation of itself, his smile widens and his eyebrows dance. His beautiful blue eyes dart rapidly from her face to her body, her lips to her eyes.

"Touching," she continues, finding her footing in the normality of sending him reeling with her words, now she has him under her spell again her hands skirt his chest "kissing," she steps in closer and winds her body around his, her lips at his throat and his jaw.

"Let me get this straight," he says and she clamps down on her tongue to stop herself laughing, she will never get him to bed if he doesn't shut up "we are going back to mine…to have sex, touching and kissing and you said _sex_." He smiles as his arms drift up and rub her back, tugging her nearer. She feels his hands clamp at her waist and knows she's about two seconds away from him picking her up and spinning her, or throwing her on the bed.

She sighs again pushes him away, picks up her bag and slings it over her shoulder, walking to the door, when she reaches it she turns and throws over her shoulder

"Well I am, I don't know what you're doing."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: i own nothing and i have no excuse for it taking me two months to post a chapter (with a lil luck) it wont happen again!

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><p>The cab journey proved to be a heated foreplay neither of them was fully prepared for.<p>

After all the teasing in her apartment, sitting across his lap and rubbing against him like a cat, purring over his body, the declarations of love, the heated kissing and leading touches, it was obvious where this night would end.

Kates admission she wanted Castle to take her home with him, the dark heated comments about sex and the leading, innuendo loaded banter, the groping on the couch…

Yeah, it was pretty obvious.

What neither of them needed was a long stretch of alone time in a secluded and confined space, with someone watching them.

They didn't need it, but they got it, and used it to the best possible advantage.

The minute she slid into the back of the cab, gliding her graceful body over the back seat and fitting in next to him, he knew he was in trouble, Kates leg, confined in tight, indigo denim, brushed against his groin, his thigh and his knee before she squirmed around in her seat and dropped it over his lap and down between his own.

She scooted as close as humanly possible, using his shirt to drag herself the short distance that separated them, laughing as he groaned and tipped towards her, before she barked his address at the driver, her eyes not leaving his the entire time she did and he could hear the urgency in her voice, feel it in the squeeze of her body against his.

Then her other leg lifted, both of them now falling between the gap of his, she was almost sitting on his lap, draped over his thigh.

Kate lifted her hand, a small smile across the perfect line of her lips before her fingers opened and slid under the collar of his shirt, undoing the top button with one hand as the other wormed inside.

She tugged him closer. Pulled him as near as she could without pressing their chests together.

Tilting her body back as she did, pulling him over her so that, _if_ he wanted to, he could lay her back against the seat of the cab.

Who was he kidding? _If_ he wanted to?

_If_ was no longer an option. _If_ went out the window several hours ago, days, months, years even, _if _was never an option with her.

Now it was more a case of when?

Where?

How many times?

How often after that?

What would she sound like?

Feel like?

_Taste_ like?

He opened his eyes, watching her lashes beat against her cheeks and enjoying the feel of her chest rising and falling against him, all of it pulls him back into the reality of the situation and it stops him getting lost in his fantasies.

No more imagining.

He doesn't want to waste anymore time, teasing is all well and good, and he loves it, her, _everything_ between the two of them, but it's time for more.

They deserve so much more.

He moves faster than she expects, taking her by surprise when his desire hits him, hard and hot. His fingers sliding along the curve of her thigh and up, brushing at the seam of her jeans along the outer edge of her leg in a way that makes her draw in a deep breath, suck it through her teeth and cling to him.

Her short nails bite through his shirt, marking the skin beneath he's certain, little half moons across his biceps that show her desire in a way that completely overrides everything.

When he reaches around her body, ghosting over her backside, he trails the edge of her back pocket, dipping his hand between the two layers of material, finding the thin cotton material inside the pocket and pressing, stroking the soft swell of her ass with two fingers.

It reminds him of something, _somewhere_ else he wants to slip his fingers, and the hand on her thigh squeezes tight, drawing her attention to it.

Kates breathing, already fast, speeds up, rapid panting of hot moist breath in his ear, but she pulls back so that she can look at him, see if he means it in the way she thinks he does, the way she hopes.

The sly smile, the crinkled edge of his eyes and the repeated grazing, squeezing touches of his hands tell her all she needs to know.

To warn her.

To set the alarms ringing in her head and the pulse buzzing in her body.

Testing his resolve on her sofa earlier was a dangerous game and she is about to reap the rewards.

He promised to make her pay. For teasing him and for gyrating against his body.

He promised to may her _pay_.

And she'll pay _anything_…willingly.

Arching her body into his, her eyes bright, dark pupils full of spark in the back of the cab, she tightens her grip around his neck and tugs him forwards.

She wants more than his hands gripping her tight, she wants a kiss, his kiss, needs the feel of him against her lips and the slide of his tongue inside her mouth.

But his hand has moved when she wasn't paying attention, and it's tangled in the hair at the base of her skull, he keeps her pulled back, just enough that their lips wont meet.

She doesn't understand for a few seconds, lost in the want and needs of her own body, the urge to press herself against him, to wriggle and squirm and rock until the pleasure washes over her.

Kate groans, her fingers tight where they grip him, her hot breath bouncing off his lips, he's that close, rebounding as she breaths the heated waves of her own desire back in.

It's ridiculous really, all he did was drag his hand along her leg and slip his fingers inside her back pocket, and she's humming, pulsating with it.

The man is a genius, a dirty, evil genius.

Kate wants more, needs more and the way his eyes burn into hers, she can tell he does too.

That's when she understands, when it hits her like a lightning bolt, a streak of fire through her heart, it tingles her chest, settles between her legs, pools in her stomach.

The first time they do this, the very first time he touches her seeking pleasure and joy and oblivion he is going to tease her body until he watches her fall apart.

Just her.

His gaze never leaving her eyes in that most intimate and defining moment, he will stare into her and watch everything, know everything, learn the final seductive detail about her, before he fully dives in and shows her that side of himself.

And she wants that so badly.

It flows between them, the plan for what happens next, unsaid touches, kisses and writhing moans that lie ahead.

He wants to watch it all, and he _will_ watch it all, every quake and shudder of desire that he can pull from her body.

She swallows thickly around the knowledge, the anticipation, the intensity of his gaze as he burns the meaning into her skin with his fire laced fingertips.

He keeps their lips apart, but lathes her skin with his tongue, forgetting the driver, forgetting the cab and the city rushing past, forgetting everything but the pull between them, the warmth of her tense body.

He has plans to take away that tension, make her fluid and lax beneath his lips, under his fingers, pliable as he manipulates her body and learns exactly what it is that will make her scream and he pulls her bottom lip forwards with a flick of his tongue.

The moist skin on the inside of her mouth is soft and warm, indescribable.

She tastes like…nectar of the gods…heaven, with a hint of coffee. The closest he is ever going to get to the divine.

At least in the back of a cab anyway.

Castle feels her lean towards him, her mouth seeking his as she presses forwards. It takes every ounce of self control he has to resist, to squeeze her neck and pull her gently backwards as he moves himself away.

To mutter "Uh-uh" under his breath.

When she groans and drops her head into the groove of his neck and starts moving her lips over his collar bone he stutters back to his senses.

Castle can feel her teeth against his jugular, a punishment that is all too enjoyable and he has to hold in the moan, stop her, before she can get too much control back, before her hands slip any further under his shirt, he moves.

His fingers slide out of her back pocket, slowly, and press at her, squeezing tightly, roaming over her clothes until they find the inch of bare skin that has been exposed by her t-shirt riding up.

It's a delightful surprise that he falls on, using the tips of his fingers he flicks the material up and slides his hand under the cotton, skimming it across the small of her back.

Her mouth opens, hot and wet against his neck when he moves his hand, splaying his fingers wide and dragging his nails roughly over her ribs.

He can feel her fight the noises that leave her mouth, the squeaks and moans of enjoyment. She fights every single one of them, not wanting to give him any more ammunition, but she can't resist all of them, one particularly delicious movement and another shuddering moan trembles past her lips.

He wants more, and he wants them louder.

He grazes each rib individually, his fingers running the length of the exposed bone as her mouth works furiously against his neck and chest, just under the edge of his shirt as she burrows inside.

Castle lets his fingers roam, enjoying the unexpected softness of the curves of her body, the newness of sensation until his fingers arrive at the edge of her bra.

The cotton and elastic, the biting line of under-wire that he lazily traces until his thumb nail slips under the edge and lets the material slip from his finger and snap against her skin.

She startles, her teeth bite down, almost in retaliation against him, before she sits up and she breathes into his face again.

Breathing hard all the while, the plump swell of her lips is too inviting as he watches her draw them between her teeth, almost as inviting as the swell of her breast so close to his hand.

Longing oozes from her, drips from the moistened edges of her mouth.

Lust personified, that's what she looks like to him, thoroughly ravishing and waiting to be devoured, with her darkened eyes and the waterfall cascade of her ponytail across one shoulder.

He wants to talk about love and destiny but the ache intensifies, urging him on, his hand at the back of her head squeezes, lets her know what he wants as he pulls her forward and crashes their mouths together.

It's not a battle this time, when their tongues meet, it's a dance, a rhythmic rolling of her tongue against the hard muscle of his that makes him think about her hips moving in the same motion.

The hard rotation of her pelvis against his own and he grips her securely, tight where his fingers find her.

The slow swallow of her mouth around him makes him wonder exactly how gentle she is in the heat of the moment, how _frenzied_ she really will be before she collapses and explodes, just for him.

He lets Kate tease him with her mouth for a few seconds, lets her feel like she's in control, like she's winning, before he moves again.

His hand and his tongue working in unison.

His fingers slide under the nothing material of her bra again, the arch of skin between his thumb and index finger sliding perfectly into place under her breast and for a split second he feels her mouth still against his. He lets his fingers glide higher, over warm skin that erupts in goose bumps at his touch.

He feels her sigh, deeply, into his mouth.

He fights the smile as his tongue continues to swirl in steady motion and he lets his thumb copy, the bud of her nipple rising to meet the rough pad of the digit, hardening in pleasure against the movement.

Her bra pushed aside and unwanted whilst he touches her, small tender motions high and low.

His hand glides free of her hair, no longer needing to hold her close as she grips his neck and she drags him to her instead.

They don't feel the cab stop.

The engine vibrations mean nothing to them, their own magnetic pulse too strong as they draw closer, quivering with the feel of each other.

His hand moves down her back, around slowly and falls into her lap, he moves his fingers under the hem of her shirt, tugging at the button and then the zip of her jeans.

He's dedicated and forceful and skilled, moving before she is really aware of what he is doing, knowing all the while and not caring as he touches her.

Everything dissolves under the feel of his hands.

His thumb, again, his evil and talented fingers and thumb, slide inside the denim, stopping at the edge of her underwear, toying with the edge of the material before he starts to lift it away from her skin.

"Castle" she gasps, her teeth catching his lip as she bites the word into his mouth.

The driver clears his throat and their heads turn simultaneously, his hand still down the front of her jeans, his thumb across her nipple as they meet the drivers eyes in the mirror.

The mans cheeks are red, his eyes drop from the mirror fast as he mumbles "Looks like we got here just in time…"

Castle barks a laugh of surprise as Kates mouth drops open in shock, but the driver leans forwards, seemingly unaware of his verbal slip up as he looks up at the sky through the glass.

"Rains coming."

"It wont be the only thing." Castle mutters against her ear, his teeth finding the lobe as he sucks it between his teeth before letting it fall from his mouth with a wet pop.

Kate lets out a reluctant laugh, a gentle gust of air as she leans into Castle again, pulling his hand out from under her shirt "I swear to god," she groans under her breath moving to pull her legs from his lap, but his hand is still wedged at the edge of the band of her underwear, he slides his fingers along the line, his nails dragging again as he speaks.

"Don't swear to god Kate," he whispers moving forwards until he can brush the words against her lips "you'll be begging him soon enough."

His mouth closes over hers, his tongue sliding between her lips as his teeth nip at her skin, the edge of her mouth, tasting her and playing with her until she moans.


	4. Chapter 4

He didn't give her much time to do anything other than yank up the zipper of her jeans as he pulled out of the kiss, letting his tongue slide over hers in a deadly deliberate sweep, before he leant away.

Castle took control of her body as he shifted in the seat, taking her with him, dragging her, again extremely slowly, over his lap, flinging the door wide he gave her a shove, his hands spanning her ass as he pushed her out onto the side walk.

Kate landed with a huff of indignation, turning to glare at him but it fell away quickly when you saw his face. Castles eyes were still glued to her hips, but when he raised his eyes to find hers as she stood in the beginnings of the rain she almost staggered backwards at the force blazing from him.

Certainty and conviction rolling off him in waves.

She missed the button of her jeans, not caring when her half-hearted attempt at slipping it through the material was a complete failure. The feeling of her fingers against skin that was only seconds before being teased by Castle was a little too much to contemplate as she stood waiting.

She watched as he leant back into the cab, fishing money from his wallet that he casually tossed at the driver, not caring to count or wait for change, his eyes lingering on the undone button of her jeans.

His eyes burned into the denim at her hips so intensely that she expected the zip to start slipping down of its own accord.

The telekinetic powers of one Richard Castle, used to remove her jeans in the middle of the…

_Oh god_.

She was spending too much time with him. Losing her mind and her ability to form coherent thought. She had just mentally given him super powers, and under no circumstances would she be sharing that with him…he would love it too much. Especially given the fact she had used them to remove her own jeans.

Kate watched him climb out of the cab at last, his eyes intent upon hers, lidded, heavy eyes that she wanted to watch close as she sucked on his skin, she relished the rippling and shifting of muscle as he stormed towards her.

The sly smile that curved his lips was enticing, it was infectious and she found herself reciprocating it, answering it with her own as she took steps backwards.

Her feet moving almost against her will as he kept coming at her, _for _her. She wasn't backing down or shying away, far from it, she was pulling him in, with the small swaying steps bringing him with her the way she had when they had danced in the bar, until she felt her back collide with stone of his building.

Then his body was crowding hers again, he shuffled closer, moulding every curve of her figure to his body before pressing himself as close as he could get. One hand sliding behind her, up and under her shirt where the small of her back was harsh and rough against the brick work, Castle took that tender ache for her and used it to his advantage anchoring her waist more firmly to his.

Running the other hand over the ends of her hair before letting them fall into the groove of her neck, skimming his finger under the collar of her shirt, along her shoulder, over the rapidly dampening material, until he found the skin of her arm, his fingers weaving threads of desire over the already raised goose bumps.

Kate clutched tight at his shoulders, her bag discarded between them making it hard for her to shuffle her feet where she wanted them, between his so she could pull him closer herself rather than waiting for him to move. Her fingers at the thudding pulse in his jugular allowing her thumbs to skim his jaw and though less than a breath apart, neither moved to close the distance, content in the feel of the others body.

Tilting her face to one side Kate felt her mouth working almost of its own accord, her lips rubbing together, sliding over each other in anticipation of moving over his.

There was sudden heat, trailing fire over her stomach again and gasping into him she realised, whilst she was happily staring at the satin smooth sheen of his lips, Castle had slunk his hand lower, lifting the hem of her nearly see through white t-shirt and pushing it up until he found the bare skin at the edge of her zipper.

The zipper that had started to slide with the button still undone.

"So close." He whispered into her ear, dropping his face closer to hers, using her as a shield from the rain as his breath swirled over the shell, an invisible warning to the way his tongue would move, laving the inner folds with moisture and dragging the lobe between his teeth.

Kate shoved him back, glaring at him with not quite mock annoyance "You better not be." She fisted her hands in his shirt, holding him away as her eyes roamed his body, only just catching the chuckle before he knocked her hands away and thudded her into the wall.

Castles lips found her ear as Kate had been imagining they would, his mouth hovering over it as he whispered "Not what I meant," he laughed again when his words made her shiver, only the shiver lasted longer than it should and he realised they were still standing in the rain, the rain that was falling a lot heavier now, "we need to go inside, we are so close to…"

"Your bedroom?" Kate lifted her leg, feeling the zipper slide almost completely open as she wrapped her knee around his calf and buckled his knee, making him collapse heavy and forcefully delicious into the cradle of her hips, she sucked the heated air between them into her mouth and moaned softly.

His lips were moving again.

"Warmth." He stated, firmly, or at least as firmly as he could muster when she was making those low down dirty sounds against his neck.

"Your bed." She countered, wondering just how much warmth they could generate between them, what level of heat would be ignited. Kate already felt like she was on fire from the clumsy but intense fumblings in the back of a cab, if they carried on like this they would set his bed alight and dance in the flames of ecstasy all night long.

"Dry clothes." Castle offered back, he would find her something less damp to cover her body, his mouth wouldn't work, trailing wetly over every contour, but maybe his hands, his chest and hips would work just as well.

"Being naked." She groaned when his lips moved along her jaw, stopping at the edge of her mouth, his fingers sliding over her rain stained face, smoothing away the droplets that ran along her skin.

"You're all wet Kate." But he was fairly certain he could dry her off and get her wetter.

On the same page as always she answered him with a sly grin "Oh you have no idea." Then she claimed his mouth, her tongue breaking the dividing line without requesting invitation, she took her kiss with force and need, showing him what she expected of him, be fast and keep up, keep my head spinning. She tangled her hands in his hair, holding his head to hers, a complete mirrored reflection of the way he held her, cherished, loved and desired all in one sweeping movement in the falling rain.

Her mouth worked him over, teasing him, daring him, like he was with-holding information she desperately needed, seeking to devastate him in the hunt, her teeth nipped at his tongue when he fought back. Challenging him in everyway, knowing he couldn't resist, a dare was a dare and the game was on.

The rain was coming faster, falling heavier as if the break in their tension had unleashed the heavens, there was a thunder crack above them making them jump apart…clearly the tension wasn't completely released.

Her thick wet lashes fluttered, beating away the beads of water, as Kate looked up into the sky. She took the hint, turning her attention back to Castle and found he was in agreement.

His eyes blazed again, Kate watched as he began forcing ragged breath between his lips, puffing around it in annoyance before he started laughing and shaking his head. He bent and picked up her bag before, turning and reaching for her, lacing his fingers though hers, sliding their palms wetly together in a movement that felt a lot more intimate than it really should have, and pulling her away from the wall.

They staggered for a second, feet dragging not wanting to move through the rapidly forming puddles before, sharing a joint look, they started to run for the safety warmth and shelter offered by the building.

Hand in hand they reached the door and Castle swung it wide before dragging her inside behind him, he growled and groaned, looking at her pleadingly, longingly, when she rebounded with the force of his tug and her body collided with his.

They staggered again, lost in each other, eyes holding, before Castle gave her a smile and began squeezing her fingers and "Come on." he said teasing before they began moving again, feet skipping across the lobby, fighting the slip and slide of their wet shoes on the shiny floor, until they were at the elevator doors.

Another confined space beckoning them in, calling them home.

Kate met his eyes as their joint fingers descended on the call button, knowing she was in trouble, but really, whole heartedly enjoying the fact, with his eyes darting rapidly from her eyes to her lips to her see through wet white t-shirt, that Castle knew he was too.

Kate pulled the bag from his hands and began using it to shove him back wards, waiting until he was leaning to one side of the elevator before she let go and made him catch it before it could hit the floor. She was fairly certain all her clothes would be soaked through, not she planned on needing to wear anything for the next few hours, days even.

"You stay over there." She commanded, there was a line for public decency she was very near to crossing, happily, willing to cross it in fact and whilst that was more than ok, Kate wanted to be over powered by her passion, her desire for him, it should be this intense and fantastic, but not _here_, not now.

Castles smile was tainted just a tiny bit by his groan, making her laugh, making her smile and feel light, making her feel safe in her decision as he understood, he was rolling his eyes and moaning but she knew it was for show "But I want to touch you."

Kate couldn't help the giggle that rose from her chest watching him hit at the buttons, his frustration making him catch more than the one for his floor. Kate let out a little squeak and scrunched her nose, twisting her lips to suppress the bubbling joy he evoked.

"And you will." She said softly, her voice light and full of promise, drawing his attention back from the now overly lit panel of numbers.

He took a step, his eyes dark and intent upon her lips as she spoke, darting quickly back up to her eyes, but she stopped him with a look.

"Upstairs."

She reached forward and ran her hand along the button holes of his shirt, a tease for him, a taste for her, before stepping back and plastering her body against the back wall of the elevator.

Forcing herself back, making herself keep still and stare at him was a million times harder than she expected. Kate could see he was struggling with it too, but so much better than she was.

Whilst her body was humming from head to toe in longing for his lips and hands to rush over her, to pull her wet clothes over her head, he seemed content to watch, to gaze, to look at her lovingly.

Kate realised as she felt them ascend, there was a massive flaw in her logic, he had spent _years_ watching her, and she had spent mere minutes touching him. This was a daily occurrence for Castle, keeping his distance, an exchange of words and casual glances enough to fuel his imagination and as much as he bemoaned not being able to touch her she knew he would cope better than Kate.

Kate liked to act, move, she was a doer, and well there was something, _someone_, she really wanted to _do_.

The doors opened to an empty floor, sliding wide, as they both stared out into the hall, no waiting people to disturb their seclusion, their enforced separation.

The doors closed again.

Castle looked down and cursed his clumsy fingers.

"I like your fingers." Kate said smiling at him softly, she was thinking about the way they held a pen, or hit the keys when he typed.

Castle was grinning when she looked up and Kate let her eyes roll as he misinterpreted her meaning "I bet I can make you _love_ my fingers," he said waggling his eyebrows at her and laughing again "I'll show you, when they're a bit less clumsy and not slick from the rain."

Kate couldn't resist "Slick from something else then?"

He was humming his appreciation as he spoke "Tease."

"You love it." She said smiling back, forcing her feet to remain glued to the floor, hating how slowly the elevator seemed to be moving.

"I do." He said honestly, "But I can _give_ as good as I _get_ Kate."

She snorted a laugh this time, trying to ignore the soaring butterflies that came to life whenever he used her name "Really? You're _that_ sure that you can tease me?" She tilted her head to one side, extending the challenge.

"I'll devote myself to provoking a reaction," Castle confirms letting the meaning settle heavily, full of promise, "I will badger you into submission, I will harass your body, and your mind, your mouth and you'll _love_ it.."

He takes a step forwards, slow, deliberate.

"Oh? And _how _exactly are you planning on doing this to me?" Her sly one sided smile hiding her yearning to hear the words that come next, licking her lips as she speaks Kate wonders how much longer it will be before she flings her body across the enclosed space and mounts him, her legs around his waist as she forces him into the wall.

The doors open again, just as Castles is about to speak.

This time they aren't so lucky and a man steps in, older than them, but that is the only detail Kate takes in as he hits a button. All her energy is being expending on keeping her legs from buckling and her feet from crossing the room.

They ride in silence, the three of them, Kates breath coming in panting waves that should embarrass her. It doesn't.

"Nice night for it." The man mumbles sarcastically, not looking at either of them.

Castle smirks at Kate looking at her shirt, the visible bra beneath, black and simple yet stark against the pink skin and clinging cotton.

"Bit wet." Castle mutters his eyes roving over her body, before they travel high and meet her heated gaze.

"_Very_ wet." Kate confirms, leaning back against the wall her hands falling to the now half-open zipper of her jeans, toying with the teeth. She runs her fingers high and low, never stopping in their path for fear of what she would willingly let him witness if she does.

Castles eyes are wide, his mouth having fallen open with the dipping of her hand.

"There's a storm brewing." The old man says as the floor he wants approaches.

"I heard the thunder." Castle says, his voice rough, edgy, but Kate is impressed, he doesn't give them away as she tugs her shirt a little higher and trails her fingers across her stomach.

"And you can almost _taste_ the lightning." She agrees, her hand falling from her skin as the elevator stops and the man steps out.

Leaving them alone.

"Taste the lightning?" Castle asks, dropping her bag and stepping towards her as the doors slide closed again.

"I can taste _something._" Kate grins, "Static maybe. My tongue feels tingly."

He smiles widely tipping into her body as his mouth descends "Really? I think I should check it for you…"

He starts to make another innuendo, another teasy quip that isn't needed. All she needs now, all she wants, is him.

"Shut up," Kate growls the curve of her smile falling away as she pulls herself up onto her tip toes, grabbing a handful of his hair, her lips slanting over his as they hear the doors open and they finally arrive on the right floor, less than ten feet away from Castles loft.

His home and his _bed_.


	5. Chapter 5

She's holding his hand again, her fingers wound tight within his when he turns the key in the lock of his door. It takes a few attempts because he keeps glancing at her over his shoulder, small smiles floating back and forth between them, little almost giggles that want to escape her.

She bites at her lip to keep from giving into it, her head dipping forwards for a second to hide her face before she lifts it again and smiles at him widely.

The soft tilt of her head into his shoulder as she watches him and waits is almost too much. But that kiss still lingers between them and he can see that any second now she's going to reach over and yank the key out of his hand.

She's impatient and as satisfying and hot as that most definitely is, he kind of wants to drag this out, make it last a long long time.

Savor every little bit of it.

He turns to her as soon as he hears the key slide home and the door click open, his fingers curving at the back of her neck, past her haphazard pony-tail, pinching lightly at the base of her skull, pulling her forwards.

He pushes the door open and snags his keys, stepping through slowly, her head falling away from his shoulder and their tangled fingers swaying between them. Castle lifts his eyes and glances quickly around the room, seeking the reassurance that they are alone.

She steps behind him almost coyly, teasing her way through the door until he just can't take it anymore and with a smile he uses their joined fingers to tug her in, and she turns to face him.

"Are they…?" She nods up the stairs, her voice soft and eager as she comes to a stop just in front of him.

He pulls a face, an almost apology, "Yeah, I think so."

But she smiles, bright and wide and clearly not bothered his family is here, "So, we have to be quiet?" She drops her bag on the wooden floor and uses her boot to slide it silently to the foot of the stairs, her eyes challenging.

He nods, unable to find his voice.

"That," She breathes, "might be a problem." Kate steps closer, watching as he backs towards the wall, intent and intense, she's going to seduce him with every trick in her...

She feels her feet tangle, the long black strap of her overnight bag wrapping around her ankle. She bites down hard on her tongue to keep from squealing and literally throws herself at him in a vain attempt to save herself from landing on her ass.

She hears his keys hit the floor and somehow Castle catches her, one hand snagging her waist and pulling her into his chest as the other braces their bodies for the impact against the door.

He muffles the sound but both of them still let out an ooof as they collide with the wood. metal and plastic of his front door. A heavy thud and they both still, panting against each other and falling silent for a moment to listen to the noises of his home, waiting to see if someone will interrupt.

"Jeeze Kate." He finally huffs when he thinks they're safe.

She grins, almost leering and he realises his hand is at least partially across her ass and the way she's looking at him makes him bolder, the other lifting from the door. Sliding slowly up her side when she starts to giggle.

"Graceful, huh." She smiles, her chest rapid with breath and brevity, laughing into the curve of his arms as he holds her tight.

His lips lift and he smiles but his eyes leave her burning up and frozen on the spot, suddenly so intent upon her face. His hand cups her neck, fingers roaming her hair for the barest second before his thumb slides across her bottom lip and he parts her mouth, pulls her as close as she can come and kisses her.

It's not like their other kisses, and they have had quite a few tonight. It's more open, it's warmer, more gentle yet forceful at the same time, and for a few seconds, blissful moments of floating time, she surrenders to it completely.

Her knees giving out a bit, from the position or the man, or the way his hand at her back pulls her in tight, all of the above, she doesn't know, doesn't care.

Kate finds her footing, her feet planting between his, trapping herself willingly between his thighs before she opens herself up to him.

Her hand drags the length of his back, up into his hair, soft and smooth in her palms as his own fingers find the hem of her shirt over her stomach, lifting the material to get at her skin. Tugging the cotton up until she's revealed to him, inch by inch.

She manages to get her fingers working again, unbuttons his shirt and moans loudly into his mouth when her hands land on his hot chest.

Skin, all of it gloriously warm, lightly damp and waiting for her and she spreads her fingers wide. Kate squeezes his hard, rolling, shoulder muscles, caressing parts of his body that up until this very moment have lived vividly in her mind and imagination.

But now it's a beautiful reality.

She wiggles free of the jacket, his hands shoving it down her shoulders until it pools at their feet and they both kick it out of the way, stepping back towards each other.

His kiss is deep and intoxicating, and though he ravishes her mouth he moves to her neck, the curve of her ear. He kisses and nips, sucks and laves her skin. His hands squeeze her hips, fingers toying with the hem of her shirt and when he starts to lift it slowly up her body again she feels her heart stutter in her chest.

It's really happening this time.

She lifts her arms, leans back enough that he can pull the shirt straight up and over her head and his eyes don't leave hers. He tosses her clothes, his chest rising fast against her fingers as he drinks in the sight before him.

Kate Beckett, warm and eager, willing and standing wantonly in her bra. Her hair falls wildly, messy from his fingers and her mouth still a vibrant inviting red from his kisses.

Her tongue darts out to touch at her lips, hot and wet, glistening pink, and Castle moans, groans so deeply with the need to feel her that it reverberates in his chest and rumbles against her skin until he feels her shiver.

She bites at the edge of his mouth when he comes for her this time, his hands opening and spreading wide over her naked back.

He spans the entirety of her bared flesh until he meets the clasp of her bra and he feels a shuddering breath escape into her.

But before he has a chance to unclip the tiny hooks and free her to his touch, she hums and presses the length of her body into his. Every curve and swell, every bulge of muscle and gentle incline brought into sudden and delicious contact.

Her hand snakes down between them, her palm rolling so she can squeeze him and he gasps away from her mouth, almost as if he thought she would go at this tentatively.

But her seeking hands awaken something in him, something vivid and rich and his fingers curve tightly around her waist, lifting her on the spot so he can press her into the door.

They trade places and he drives her backwards, his hands once again teasing at the edge of her jeans, easing open the zipper at the same moment her fingers are working his buttons, the last two still joined up near his neck until she pops them free and forces the cotton down his arms roughly.

He starts easing the waistband past her hips and she shoves him away, walking him backwards and making him lose the shirt.

"Not here." She croaks, her voice thick with want.

He watches her hands move behind her, the straps at her shoulders slipping when she unclasps her bra and he unbuttons his own pants, his fingers freezing when she shakes her head.

"Not here." She whispers again, this time with more force.

They reach the door to his office and with one steady movement she lets the flimsy lace tumble down her arms, catching it in her hand she tosses it casually over her shoulder. And then she's free, the bra finally lost somewhere in his living room.

He can stand the distance no longer and he surges forwards, grasps her shoulders, one hand sliding down the centre of her chest. Her foot hooks at his knee, and he lifts her, bare chests pressing tight together as her arms snake around his neck and she holds him to her.

"Not here either." She growls, and with her body wrapped around his completely they tumble through his bedroom door. She reaches over his shoulder to slam it shut behind them but before she has a chance his mouth lands on the high soft swell of her breast.

The open heat of his mouth makes her breath catch and the only thing she can do is cling to his head, his shoulders and finally his arms as he releases her, letting her glide down his body until her feet find the floor.

Her hands frame his face and she smiles, half naked and totally sure, "Here."

The silent question lingers between them, his eyes quizzical, but needful in a way she never imagined.

"I want to wake up here" Kate whispers against his lips, her hands roaming his chest again. "With you, its how I imagined it".

"Oh really!" He smiles in triumph as she admits she has pictured them here, doing this, touching and loving each other, wanting it just as much as he does.

"You ever gonna stop being surprised by me?" She asks, her smile wide and beautiful, tweaking his ear with her fingertips before reaching forwards and pulling him in, another kiss waiting for him on her lips.

"God, I hope not." He replies hoarsely before they finally fall into his bed.

**THE END.**

* * *

><p>This took far too long for me to finish and i apologize to anyone still reading it. Set between Love and Lovers.<p> 


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